Baby Shower News

Baby showers are now a right of passage in pregnancy. They can be a great amount of fun. The problem is that so many people have started to believe that a baby shower needs to cost a pretty penny. The truth is that baby showers are designed to celebrate the pregnant mother-to-be and her baby. It’s a gathering of friends and family to show support. Here are some ideas to have a great shower – without breaking the bank!

Re-use Decorations
If you happen to have some decorations saved from another shower, re-use them! Or pull out some strings of Christmas lights and hang them around the party room – they spice up any occasion. You can also use baby items as decorations, either yours or some from friends. Think kid books, baby bath lotions, stuffed animals, etc. These small things can really help set the tone and don’t have to be overpowering to be effective.

Eat off plates.
I know it sounds crazy, but consider using your real plates instead of disposable plates. If you have a set of nice dishes, pull those out. If the thought of doing dishes really turns you off consider our budget disposable baby shower tableware.

Buy in bulk.
For food consider going to your local bulk food store. Here you can get a large selection for less. Think a huge bag of veggies and dip for appetizers. Many also have bags of sweets or nuts to set out for munchies. My personal favorite is in the freezer aisle: frozen mini cream puffs and eclairs. Either way buying in bulk is likely to save you money.

Bake the cake!
Baking a cake doesn’t have to be difficult. You can simply bake a long sheet sponge cake in your own oven. Once it’s iced or decorated to your preference you can add some pre-made designed pieces of sweets (like you’d purchase for a kid’s birthday) or go for a simple style. For simple yet elegant, you can also make cupcakes. A nice cupcake sprinkled with colored sugar is very attractive. You can even arrange these in decorative format, like spelling out the word baby in cupcakes as a centerpiece. If you want the cupcakes in a baby theme or a sponge in a baby design we offer them in our baby shower baking section.

Game Prizes and Favours
It’s nice to give small gifts to the winners of baby shower games. These don’t have to break the budget at all. Consider getting them at a supermarket. Even when you purchase gift bags and baby shower favours, you’re only spending a couple of pounds per favour. You can even skip the gift bags and simply use organza bags and some old ribbon from your home. Most supermarkets and pound stores then sell candles, nice bath stuff or sweets to make a great thank you gift. If you want some ideas then look at our baby shower favours section. You will see that for personalised favours we often cost less than making favours yourself as we buy in bulk and well, this is what we do!

Baby gifts on a budget.
If you’d like to give the mother-to-be something beyond the baby shower, which is a present in and of itself, consider inexpensive options. Coupons for babysitting, a gift basket of baby goodies from the dollar store, the promise of a meal after the baby arrives – these are all good ideas for budget baby shower gifts.

Save money on the invitations.
Consider using a service like Evite to send electronic invitations to your guests who have email. This saves on postage as well as the actual invitation an time. It’s also a handy way to manage your guest list. What if someone doesn’t have email? Drop them a nice note in the mail with a printed version of the online invitation and a note to call in their RSVP

When throwing a baby shower in the new year say thanks to your friends and family who attend with mini favours. These token gifts are a fantastic way to thank your guests for attending your baby shower. You can make your guests feel special by personalising their favour with their name and adding a special message. There are so many different types to choose from our range. The most popular Baby Shower Favours that we offer are based on sweets, bookmarks, keyrings and candles. We have divided this section into pink, blue and neutral. We also have bath salts and soaps which smell lovely for pamper time. Cute charms and personalised ribbon also add the perfect finishing touch to your favours, which your guests will adore.

Why have a christening?
If you would like your child to be brought up as a Christian, then a christening is the first step.

However, these days, faith is not always the only motivation. A christening is also a great way to get the whole family together to celebrate your new arrival. Being a member of a church could also help your child get a place at the excellent local church school further down the line!

While some clergy are quite relaxed about the parents’ own church attendance, others will expect to see you and your child on a regular basis before and after the christening.

Says Ruby, a mother of three girls, living in Derbyshire: “Although we are not regular churchgoers, we wanted to welcome our children into the church and the Christian community. We recently moved to a small village and talked to the vicar about the Christening of our youngest, Sisley. He said as long as we made it to church twice a year, at Christmas and Easter, he’d be happy!”

Is there an alternative?
A Christening calls for your child to believe in Jesus and to repent any sins. However, an increasing number of parents – and clergy themselves – question how a baby can possibly understand and, therefore, commit to this. As an alternative, your little one can be blessed and thanks can be given for his safe arrival into the world, without you making any promises on his behalf. A christening can then be held when your child is older and more able to understand what baptism involves.

If you are unsure what to do, talk to friends who have gone down either route and seek advice from your local church.

Booking the service
Once you have decided to have a christening, the first step is to talk to your local vicar. You will need to find out whether a special service needs to be arranged or whether the christening will be part of a main Sunday service. Some churches may ask few questions apart from which day you’d like the ceremony on and the names of the godparents, while others will want more details about your own faith, baptism and those of the godparents.

Choosing godparents
Traditionally, godparents were chosen for their own strong Christian beliefs, so that they could help guide the growing child in his faith. While this is still preferable in the eyes of the church, in reality, these days godparents are chosen more because they are close friends of the parents or are family members. However, for the sake of your child, it is worth taking time to choose a godparent carefully. If you are choosing friends, think about what role you would like them to play in your child’s life. Are they likely to still be friends of yours in 10 years time? Are they going to offer you and your child support if needed?

“On the whole, we chose godparents who we felt would nurture the girls in different ways and each has one godparent who has a strong Christian faith. However, I have to admit that I felt obliged to choose a couple of them because they chose me to be a godparent to their child. Not the right motive I know, but it put me in a tricky position.”

It is traditional for girls to have two godmothers and one godfather and boys to have two godfathers and one godmother, although it is up to you how many you have.

The christening gown
Both girls and boys traditionally wear a long white or cream christening gown. It’s wonderful if you have a family gown that has been passed down through the generations. If you don’t, you could either try to find one in a shop that sells vintage or antique clothing or buy one new. Many large department stores will sell appropriate clothes for christenings. Alternatively, try one of the many websites that sell everything related to christenings, from clothes to invitations and paper plates. Just key ‘christening uk’ into your search engine and check out what’s available.

The service
If the christening is being held especially for you rather than as part of a main service, ask everybody to turn up at least 10 minutes before it’s due to begin. Yours may not be the only event at the church that day and the vicar will need to keep to schedule. Everyone will gather around the font, with the parents and godparents at the front. A service sheet will be handed out with the words the godparents need to say usually printed in bold. The whole christening should only take 20-30 minutes.

Remember that even in summer churches can be pretty cold, so make sure your baby is warmly dressed. It may also be wise to take a spare set of clothes in case of an accident.

After the service
You might want a small tea reception of sandwiches and cakes after the service. However, if friends and family are coming from far afield, it might be a good idea to offer something more substantial. Plan your menu so that most things can be cooked in advance and just heated up at the right time. Or, if you can splash out, consider caterers so that you don’t have to worry. If you want to decorate your house with Christening Decorations then why not look for ideas at the Christening section or BabiesBabies.co.uk. We have some lovely modern and traditional designs to suit your taste. We even can design Christening Favours and personalised bookmarks to thank your guests for attending your child's special day.

Choosing a godparent for your child is an important decision, because the person you choose will be responsible for providing guidance and life lessons to your child. The person you choose as a godparent when it comes to your child’s Christening or Baptism will have a significant role in your child’s life. Know how to choose a godparent by considering a few important factors about the candidates. Here are a few tips and guidelines.

godparents

Make a list.

One tool that will help in the process of choosing a godparent is a list of the positive and negative qualities of the person you’re considering. Make a list of the character traits, values and accomplishments you admire about the person along with any undesirable elements that you wouldn’t want your child exposed to. Having these characteristics written down in black and white will help you weigh out what’s important.
Know how involved you want him or her to be.

Appoint a godparent based on what role you want him or her to play in the life of your child. If you want the godparent to offer religious guidance, life lessons or to be the child’s guardian in the event of your death, the candidate you select should be someone willing to accept this role and responsibility.

Choose someone with similar values.

Pick a godparent that has similar moral and ethical values as you do. This will provide your child with a consistent positive influence and moral compass that aligns with the core values you’re trying to instill.

Look within your family.

Consider choosing a godparent from within your family, like a sibling or cousin. There could be a stronger bond between your child and the godparent if the two are from the same family and the child will potentially see the godparent more regularly at family functions.

Consider logistics.

It’s important to choose a godparent that will get to see and interact with your child on a regular basis, because this will allow the godparent to provide the leadership and guidance you want him or her to give your child. Choose a godparent that is geographically close to you and your child so the two of them can stay in contact.

Select someone dependable.

The godparent you choose should be someone with a relatively stable life and strong sense of personal responsibility that can be counted on to attend important functions like baptisms and graduations and to interact with the child often. Choose someone you trust with your child that is responsible.

Ask your clergy leader.

Discuss the selection of a godparent with your minister or clergy leader. You might find that the godparent you wish to appoint is a member of your congregation. The clergy leader will be able to help you determine what characteristics are most important in the godparent you choose.

Great item as described, delivered the next day! I requested all items to be pink & purple as they are for my daughters party gift bags, I was replied to very quickly and my request was accommodated. Excellent service.